Memphis, TN and the surrounding area has some of the most talented girls basketball players in the nation and everyone is taking notice. Continue to visit and I will tell you why Memphis is a Mecca for Top Girls and Womens College Basketball Unsigned Players, Recruits, and Prospects.
MemphisGirlsBasketball.com is a resource for prep news, recruiters, recruiting, and area scouting report .

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Its a great feeling to be able to provide the young ladies in the Memphis area an opportunity to Show Off their skills during the fall NCAA evaluation period. GreatJob2Day! The talent level of this event has increased tremendously over the past 4 years. I appreciate all the players and coaches that have continued to support this event. You are helping to establish the foundation for Memphis to be a location that coaches must come to during the fall period. The Pre-Season Show Off Camp is one of the biggest secrets right now. Boy does the future look bright! I will be working hard over the next couple of weeks writing evaluations, recaps, and putting up videos.. I love it!!! ----Patosha Jeffery

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The University of Memphis put on a full-court press — including a
meeting with school president Dr. Shirley Raines — in an attempt to
secure the services of Nina Davis. But ultimately an offer from the
defending national champions was just too good to turn down.

Davis, the two-time Pepsi Best of the Preps player of the year from
Central, verbally committed to Baylor Tuesday afternoon, choosing the
Bears over the Tigers and Vanderbilt. She will make her choice official
during the early signing period, which begins Nov. 14.

“Everybody thinks I picked Baylor just because they won the national
championship,” said Davis, a 6-1 wing who is ranked 52nd in the nation
according to ESPN Hoopgurlz.

“That is a plus but I really bonded with coach (Kim) Mulkey and the
players. At the end of the day, it was Baylor that had me the most.”

As excited as she is to be a Baylor Bear, the decision was also a
gut-wrenching one for Davis. She’s good friends with current Tiger guard
and former Arlington star Ariel Hearn and Lady Warriors coach Niki Bray
said the U of M was hoping to make Davis the face of its program as it
moves into Big East Conference play after this season.

Davis said she didn’t come to her final decision until early Tuesday
morning and then had to call and break the news to U of M head coach
Melissa McFerrin.

“That was the hardest phone call I’ve ever had to make. I heard
(McFerrin’s) voice crack. I was still torn until 7 o’clock this morning.
It’s not like there’s anything bad about either school and it makes me
feel good to know that (Memphis) said they will support me regardless.”

Despite her national profile, Davis said she still has doubters and she aims to prove them wrong at the next level.

“I’ve always had people doubt me wherever I went,” she said. “They
(Baylor) had a drawing board with the players on it and there’s one
other girl that plays my spot. If I go in and outwork her, I can be in
the starting line-up.”

Said Bray, “She’s got to get stronger. They see her as being a 3-4ish
type of player. They feel like she can create mismatches. And she can
rebound the ball so well, you saw that all summer long going up against
bigger girls. She’s just a very efficient player.”

And they’ll be getting a player who’s even better off the court than she is on, according to Bray.
“She’s been the rock of our program,” Bray said. “I’ve had teachers
tell me they’ve rolled out of bed (especially) to see Nina play. She’s
been our leading scorer since she was a freshman but it’s the
intangibles that set her apart. She is so humble ... she’s just a
special child. What you see is what you get with her.”
Davis, who averaged 19.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per
game for the Lady Warriors last season, is the second high-profile
Memphian to commit to Baylor in the last week, joining White Station
class of 2014 standout LeRon Black.

The environment surrounding recruiting is continually influenced by
many different entities, each having their own agenda. The NCAA has an
impact through legislation, knee jerk reactions and vision…or sometimes a
lack thereof. College coaches can alter the landscape through their
methods, ethics and style. It’s difficult for athletes, their families
and coaches to effect change as most pass through the process once and
move on. However, there are situations where recruiting decisions on
their end results in changing recruiting trends. Three separate
conversations in the past week convinced me to set aside another topic I
was writing on and address a theme that seemingly needs attention time
and again. The topic du jour is “offers”.

Let’s get the simplest aspect out of the way first, that being the
role that a scholarship offer plays in an athlete’s decision. It’s a
given that, unless she’s planning on walking on, there has to be an
offer on the table for a recruited prospect to choose a particular
school. That part is obvious, but it’s not in the “decision” aspect of
the process where offers are creating some unnecessary detours and speed
bumps. It’s the role they play in the “recruiting” part of the process
that leads prospects and programs alike to rush, alter and even
compromise their approach.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

PeachStateBasketball.com recently released their recap of their July event, Real Deal in the ‘Ville. This is what they had to say about St. Mary's sophomore Kaylan Pugh.

Kaylan Pugh (Collierville, Tenn.) — Team Arkansas Elite Jr. — 2015
One of the quickest combo guards that we saw at this event was 5-9
Kaylan Pugh. She is equipped with crafty handles and the ability to get
to the rim with her explosive first step. Pugh has the ability to run
the show from the point guard position, but is more effective off the
ball where she attack from the extended elbow. Pugh is definitely one to
watch in the near future.

The 2012 Fall Exposure League kicked off on Saturday. The talent level in Memphis
and the surrounding area is extremely good. This year's event offer a variety of
talent and players representing public schools, private schools, home schooled,
Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama. It is a great event for young and old
girls basketball fans to see.

Sweet Home Alabama

Camillia Carter

It says alot about a parent and player to travel over 3 hours to participate in a
basketball event weekly. Camillia Carter, a senior shooting guard from Hueytown,
AL, is on a mission to get her name out, display her talent and secure an athletic
scholarship in basketball. She is a member of the Alabama Twisters summer program
and academically has made an ACT score of 19. During her week 1 game, she showed
her ability to be a very aggressive on the ball defender and a guard with 3 point
shooting range.

Hard Knox Life
I was very impressed with Marisa Knox's (2014/Center Hill) performance on Saturday
morning. There was just something different about her demeanor. She played with
much energy and aggressiveness. She is definitely a pure point guard-always looking
up the court to get the ball to an open teammate and looking to pass in the half court set. She doesn't look to score much but she
likes the elbow shot and penetrates to the basket with intent.

Long and Tall
Certain body types just stick out on the court and Ineashia Claybrook (2014) and
Amber Braxton (2014) has the body type. Both are extremely slim with extremely long
arms. Ineashia Claybrook is from Gates, TN and plays the guard position for Halls
High. Today she showed her energy, ability to slash and get to the basket for
buckets. Amber Braxton at 6'0 has a very mild demeanor on and off the court. But
don't let it fool you. On the court, she will score on the perimeter and in the
paint.

It's Showtime
After watching Week 1 games, It was decided that there was too much talent in the
building to not record it. So from this point forward, the league games will be
recorded. The recordings will be used for evaluation purposes. Also, a game of the week will be selected to watch
on MemphisGirlsBasketball.com or GirlsBasketballExposure.com.

Here is an article from the Memphis CommercialAppeal.com released
on September 9, 2012. This article is primarily geared towards mens
basketball recruiting so I’ve made notes in red to give you the womens
basketball version. I believe it has some very useful information about
how recruiting is transitioning because of technology.

There was a time when a Division I basketball coach’s dropping into a
prospect’s living room was a big, formal event. Back then, in-home
visits were part occasion and part presentation, and they almost
certainly left an imprint on the prospect and family.

Nowadays, visiting a prospect at home is much less profound and can
be one of the more campy components of recruiting, from University of
Memphis coach Josh Pastner’s point of view, especially if the house
guests have been courting the prospect for any length of time.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Brian Tate is disappointed that he's not able to watch his son Kylan
suit up for the Central High football team this fall because of Memphis
City Schools' 2.0 rule. But he does think the right message is being
sent.

"It's been a good lesson," he said. "His mom and I stress academics
... he's accepted it and now his focus is on improving his grades. He's
an athlete and he plans to try out for the basketball team.
"They've taken the pass/play rule and they've upped the ante with it."

Kylan Tate, a sophomore who was expected to challenge for the
Warriors starting quarterback job according to his father, would have
been eligible under the old rule, which stated players had to pass five
classes. But under the new rule, which states that players have to have a
2.0 grade-point average in the previous semester in order to play, he
wasn't.

The rule became effective in March of this year and applies to all interscholastic activities.
And while it's too early to assess the full impact of the rule,
school board member Betty Mallott said the message, an increased focus
on academics, is getting across to students and parents.
"The purpose is to motivate the students to work harder
academically," she said. "Too many young people involved in sports think
that's their only avenue and they don't develop other aspects.
"It's a shift in values. Even if it gives them an excuse to go home
and study just so they can stay on the team (that's a positive.)"

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Received an email from KiKi Patterson's (Columbus(MS)/Memphis Elite) father, Mark.--KiKi committed to Mississippi State University on September 3, 2012. She
had offers from the following: Lousiville, Maryland, South
Carolina, Alabama, Southern Mississippi, Ole Miss, Auburn, Utah and others.

The 2012 Girls Basketball Fall Fest kicked off last weekend with the 2nd Annual Fundamental Intensity Camp. 16 players participated in the middle school session representing Mt. Pisgah, MHEA, Schilling Farms, Woodward Academy, and Millington. The young ladies went through 3 hours of skills and drills focusing on 3 key areas, Agility and Power, Being a Balanced Player and Becoming an Offensive Threat.
Check out some of the behind-the-scenes video: